Millennium Financial Center
Denver, CO
The award-winning Millennium Financial Center in Denver’s Lower Downtown District is the result of accommodating design guidelines that help maintain the district’s historic character while creating something unique and unquestionably contemporary. The building is clad in warm brown brick, richly patterned to echo the surrounding historic masonry. The textured brickwork frames large glass openings that are typically a hallmark of modern architecture. Reflective glass gives the building an air of lightness to counterbalance the strength and weight of the masonry. Extensive metal trim breaks down the large expanses of glass to a scale typical of the patterns of punched openings found elsewhere in LoDo. Steel and glass canopies above the retail storefronts are a modern update of traditional awnings. Upper-level balconies along each street front—an unexpected amenity for an office building—allow tenants to enjoy the Colorado sunshine and permit the upper floors to address the street below. The result is a fusion of traditional and contemporary materials and technologies in a building that addresses the character of the neighborhood, yet takes a leap forward into the new century.